The objective of UNCTAD's work on competition and consumer policies is to ensure that partner countries enjoy the benefits of increased competition, open and contestable markets, private sector investment in key sectors and ultimately that consumers achieve improved welfare.

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How are countries protecting your rights as a consumer and adapting them to the global marketplace? This is one of the many questions addressed in UNCTAD’s Peer Review on Consumer Protection, the first of its kind.

How are countries protecting your rights as a consumer and adapting them to the global marketplace? This is one of the many questions addressed in UNCTAD’s Peer Review on Consumer Protection, the first of its kind.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is embarking on a two-year project aimed at strengthening competition and consumer protection for the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), funded by the European Union within the wider Trade and Economic Integration Programme (PACIE).

"Consumers must be empowered, protected and educated about their rights in order to enhance their trust in digital trade, as they play an important role in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular goals 8, 9, 10, 12, 16 and 17," said UNCTAD's Associate Legal Officer Arnau Izaguerri, at the E-commerce week 2017 held from 24-28 April in Geneva.

The first Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional training center for consumer protection was officially launched in Beirut, on 5 April, by UNCTAD in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and Trade of Lebanon.